Railway-rail joint



(No Model.)

W. 82; J. ARMSTRONG.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 537,596. Patented Apr. 16, 1896.

UNTTE STATES EEicE,

PATENT RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,596, dated April 16, 1895.

Application filedJ'une 11, 1892i Renewed March 13, 1895A Serial No. 541,593- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM ARMSTRONG and JOHN ARMSTRONG, citizens of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to such improvements and consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in both figures.

Figure l of the drawings is a top plan View of our improved railway-rail joint supporting the adjacent ends of two railway rails. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of same taken on the broken line, 2--2, in Fig. 1.

A- is the rail-supporting chair having a bed-plate for the rail, and consists preferably of an integral casting provided at one end with a fixed support, A, for therail or rails, 13-, which rests upon the face of the bed-plate. The chair is provided at the other end with a flange, A integral therewith, and having on its inner side the transverse groove, A

C is an adjustable support for the rails on the side opposite the fixed support, A'. The adjustable support consists of aplate adapted to bear against the side of the rails, and having a lug or ear, O' projecting from the outer side of the plate, adapted to fit the transverse groove, A in the chair-flange. The ear is provided with a screw-threaded aperture, 0 adapted to receive and fit one end of a screw-bolt, D. The bolt is provided with a shoulder, D-, which bears against the inner wall of groove, A The shoulder prevents the removal of the .bolt by mischievous persons or others before the removal of the rail, and it furnishes a solid beaning integral with the bolt against the flange A The nut heretofore used could be manipulated by the curious or malicious and further its threads are not so well adapted to support the side thrust of the rail. Our bolt is made without the usual head which would prevent its insertion from within the flange. It is also less easily manipulated by meddlers than a headed bolt.

The above described shoulder is, for greater security, made narrow as shown and circular in form to prevent the bolt being turned by a nail or like object used as a lever under or over the same.

The screw may be operated in any known manner, but we prefer to provide the outer end of the screw-bolt with an angular stem, D ,which projects through an aperture, A in the flange, A and is adapted to receive a socket-wrench for operating the screw. The plate, 0-, is thus movable from the flange, A by means of the screw-bolt.

In operating the device, we first screw the screw-bolt into the ear, G-, to allow the plate, 0, to be moved toward the flange, A The rails, B, are then inserted endwise from opposite sides of the chair, passing between the fixed support, A and the adjustable supporting plate. the screw-bolt is turned to force the adj ustable plate tightly against the rails, thereby firmly clamping the latter between such plate and the fixed support, A. The ear of the adjustable plate is retained in the transverse groove in the chair-flange throughout the adj usting movement of such plate, and prevents movement of the plate longitudinally of the grooved flange. This feature however is not broadly new. The plate 0 rests solidly upon the chair and bears upon the foot, web and head of the rail and the screw bolt D is situated on a level with the top of the rail foot and near the chair the construction thereby avoiding too great elevation of the flange A and providing a bearing face against the rail equal in extent and similar to that on the opposite side.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a railway joint the combination of the chair'provided with a fixed support for one side of the rail and with a flange having a transverse groove on its inner side and a smooth cylindrical aperture A a rigid ad- When the rails are properly located,

justable plate adapted to bear on the head, web and foot of the rail and to rest on the chair, and extending lengthwise on either side of said groove, and provided with an ear seated in the groove, and having a screw threaded aperture 0 both said apertures being situated at or near the level of the junction of the web and foot of the rail, and a screw bolt provided with a shoulder D and stem D said stem being adapted to be entered in and fit the aperture in the flange, all combined whereby the movable plate can be forced against the rail, the screw bolt situated close hi WILLIAM. ARMSTRONG.

h mark JOHN ARMSTRONG.

mark

Witnesses:

FRANK O. CURTIS, A. E. DELANEY. 

